Encounter Journal Preview
The Encounter Journal is finally on the test realms and even if it isn't finished we finally know how much information we will get from it: a lot. The Firelands raid encounters are already there and it looks like Blizzard really wants you to know where you're going before you enter a raid, see the screenshots below.

I also added a small video preview from OMFGCata because every time I forget to post a video from Jesse, a puppy gets sad.

If you're still wondering how much info you can get for a single fight, check the preview of the Ragnaros encounter below. Everything in the preview (except for the picture, I guess) is from the Encounter Journal and not a single bit of it is from extra datamining.

Ragnaros - Encounter Journal Preview (Heroic Version)
Ragnaros, lord of the Firelands, embodies the fury and destruction of the promordial infernos that forged Azeroth itself. Promised the chance to set Azeroth aflame without interference from Neptulon and Therazane, Ragnaros seeks to appease the Old Gods by incinerating the World Tree of Nordrassil.

When triggered, a Magma Trap erupts for 60000 Fire damage to all enemies within the Firelands and violently knocks the player who stripped the Magma Trap into the air.

An enemy that triggers a Magma Trap will take 50 additional damage from the Magma Trap Eruption for 30 sec. Stacks.

Intermission: Minions of Fire!

At 70% health, Ragnaros will cast Splitting Blow, wedging Sulfuras into the platform and creating Sons of Flame across the platform. Ragnaros will stay submerged for 45 seconds or until all of the Sons of Flame are destroyed.

The Molten Elemental is empowered by nearby Molten Elementals, increasing its damage done by 25% and causing it to be immune to Snare effects.

Intermission: Denizens of Flame!

At 40% health, Ragnaros will cast Splitting Blow, wedging Sulfuras into the platform and creating Sons of Flame. Ragnaros will stay submerged for 45 seconds or until all of the Sons of Flame are destroyed.

The Lava Scion inflicts a random target with Blazing Heat, causing them to create a trail of Blazing Heat in their wake. Blazing Heat inflicts 50000 Fire damage every 1 sec and heals Sons of Flame and Lava Scions for 10% every 1 sec.

The Living Meteor will fixate on a random target and chase them. A player that gets within 4 yards of the Living Meteor will trigger a Meteor Impact, inflicting 500000 Fire damage to enemies within 8 yards.

The Living Meteor is highly Combustible. When attacked, it will cause Combustion, knocking it back several yards away from the enemy that hit it. Combustible is removed for several seconds after Combustion is triggered.

Sulfuras creates a Dreadflame at two nearby Locations. The Dreadflame multiplies rapidly and spreads across the platform. Dreadflame inflicts 35000 Fire damage and an additional 3500 Fire damage every 1 sec for 30 sec.

Cenarius forms a Breadth of Frost at a nearby location. Any Living Meteors that enter the Breadth of Frost are frozen and take 15000% additional damage. Additionally, players who stand within the Breadth of Frost are immune to Superheated damage and have the Superheated debuff removed from them.

Hamuul Runetotem

Hamuul Runetotem is a tauren druid and leads the druids of Thunder Bluff. In Mount Hyjal, he assists Ysera in protecting Nordrassil from Ragnaros. The arch druid will support the raid by entrapping Ragnaros.

Arch Druid Hamuul Runetotem forms Entrapping Roots at a nearby location. If Ragnaros enters the area of the Entrapping Roots, he will become stunned for 10 sec and take 50% additional damage while stunned.

Malfurion Stormrage

Malfurion Stormrage is an ancient and powerful night elf druid. He leads the army of Cenarius in the Defense of Mount Hyjal against the forces of Ragnaros.

Malfurion will support the raid by protecting players from Dreadflame.

Malfurion forms a Cloudburst. The players who interacts with the Cloudburst will be surrounded with a Deluge. Deluge makes the player immune to Dreadflame damage, and also allows the player to extinguish any nearby Dreadflame.

Sounds a lot like the kil'jaeden fight, only a bit more complex. I honestly don't think super hard complex raid fights are what wow needs right now. Not that difficult fights are a bad thing, I'm all for challenging raid content -- I just believe that they should put more effort into actually putting out more content that's interesting. I mean a raid instance is great, but what about the other time I'm not raiding? I'd personally like to see more world events, interaction among players, daily and solo content than "Here's a heroic encounter that's super complex and hard that most people wont even bother to do!" It just feels like they're wasting their time on the wrong kind of content.

Have you read anything blizzard said? they have been planning to make the Heroic Ragnaros fight as hard and as epic as they could.. I think they said they wanted it almost unbeatable..

Its a "GOOD THING", your basing a tier of raiding on a heroic fight that like you said, most people wont even get to do until its nerfed by gear and blizzard.

Reading through the phase 4 mechanics I doubt that it's possible. Without Cenarius Superheated would stack infinitly and become unhealable at some point. Without Hamuul Ragnaros won't be stunned and he won't take additional damage, probably giving problems with an enrage. And without Malfurion you can't extinguish the dreadflames - so it seems the flames will be there forever if not extinguished.

Achievements maybe, but I doubt it seriously (then again - I DO jave no idea how the fight works, but it sounds at least impossible from reading this spells).

Nevertheless, the fight sounds extremely awesome. Same goes for Alysrazor. All fights sound interesting, but it depends on how the fight works.

When Sulfuras is Empowered, attacks made by Ragnaros cause Flames of Sulfuras, inflicting 500000 Fire damage to all enemies within the Firelands.
in the firelands dos blizz play to kill everyone in the zone if a guild is trying to do heroic mode?

Players says "damn I hate all those noobs that are clueless in dungeons go read tactics and what abilities bosses have"
Blizzard says "we are introducing a new feature that will enable players to read abilities that bosses have, but those aren't tactics just what abilities bosses have"
Players says "WTF!!! why don't you just give people free loot"

Unfortunatly I don't think that is possible.
You should be able to do it without Cenarius resulting in you having to kite the Living Meteors for the rest of the fight and you will take increasing amounts of damage from superheated.
However missing Malfurion Stormrage is already impossible I think. It would result in the entire field being filled with Dreadflames pretty quickly. But it might just be possible if dps is super high and depending on who long the last phase lasts.
But missing Hamuul Runetotem makes the fight impossible. Read the ability called Empower Sulfuras again. That's a freaking 500k damage to everyone and the only way I can see you can interrupt that is by stunning him in the Entrapping Roots.

So 40% phase 3 starts to 0, so then the heroic only phase begins at 0? Or maybe they add it in at 20% or something I don't know. Maybe he gets pissed off makes a speech at 0%, bursts back to 40% HP and says: STOP! HAMMER TIME! Comes out and uses his legs on the dancefloor.

I'm more inclined to saying the 0% option, so there's a little speech and the NPCs burst in and he regains some hp.

Thanks for ruining another fun aspect of the game Blizzard.... good job

because none of this information was available on websites that had not only the moves but also strats, optimal setups and even videos to help you right?

---------- Post added 2011-05-15 at 12:26 PM ----------

Originally Posted by epec

Sounds a lot like the kil'jaeden fight, only a bit more complex. I honestly don't think super hard complex raid fights are what wow needs right now. Not that difficult fights are a bad thing, I'm all for challenging raid content -- I just believe that they should put more effort into actually putting out more content that's interesting. I mean a raid instance is great, but what about the other time I'm not raiding? I'd personally like to see more world events, interaction among players, daily and solo content than "Here's a heroic encounter that's super complex and hard that most people wont even bother to do!" It just feels like they're wasting their time on the wrong kind of content.

perhaps you missed the massive new quest hub they are putting into 4.2 as well for solo/daily content?

Encounter Journal... funny they implement it now, after the Codex was announced in SW: TOR.

Wowhead - Scratching everybit of DB and listing even more than this encounter journal...

Completing your reply

Funny they implement it now, after questhelper provides guidelines for all the quests
Funny they implement it now, after Pitbull/Xperl/etc/etc provides the ability to move the frames
Funny they implement it now, after Deadly Boss Mods/Bigwigs/etc/etc provide warnings to the bosses abilities
Funny they implement it now, after RatingBuster provides the stats benefits
Funny they implement it now, after Gearscore provides the average ilvl (I know this is the most super important one)
Funny they implement it now, after Wowhead Talent Calculator lets you change the talents and only then save (lock)

You couldn't possibly expect them to introduce all the interface they've by now when the game was released... by that point of view you can point out lots of things that were copied in SW: ToR, I'm not saying it's not a great game but what's the point of your comment... it's not like we're missing this feature Alt+Tab is your friend